Webpage
Supplement to Chapter 2:

Bibliodrama

Linda Condon, Bjorn Krondorfer, and others

December
14, 2006

1. More on Warming-up
(p4):

When first gathering it is important for group members to spend time
exploring the unknown connections that exist. This will help them be
willing to risk moving forward together in a deeper way. Therefore, the
first layer of warm-up has to do with providing or generating generic
information that assists group members relax and feel more comfortable
or welcome such as, learning each other’s name, job, church
affiliation, reason for coming, expectations or hopes and other simple
information that invites safe connection. If the group is relatively
small and almost everyone has met before, this layer will be very thin
and won’t require more than minimal attention. However, if the group is
larger, or coming together for the first time, it is essential to spend
some time on ‘peeling back’ this layer a bit before moving on. If you
choose not to do so, it may make it more difficult to engage the group
in the next layer of warm-up.

One way to
creatively explore this first layer when working with groups of less
than 100 people is the use of spectrograms. A spectrogram is an action
technique that can be used to give a group information about its
dynamics and invisible connections. It is a form of action sociometry
that is used to show how a group measures on specific criteria. Group
members are asked to place themselves physically on an invisible line,
which extends from a high end (the maximum degree of something) to a
low end (the least degree of something). Some criteria that are
particularly helpful with Bibliodrama groups might be:

-How many
years have you been a member of this church/synagogue/community?

-How
familiar do you consider yourself with the Bible/New/Old Testament?

-How many
years have you been teaching religious education/scripture?

Exploring these
types of questions can provide valuable information about some of the
dynamics that may be present in the group. For example, how much
knowledge group members perceive themselves as having in Scripture
and/or one another will affect how the director moves forward next.
Other possible dynamics may include: how cohesive or diverse the group
is, how many extroverts/introverts may be present, or how
concrete/literal some of the group member’s thinking might be.
Attention to this layer, lays an invisible safety net, making it easier
for people to step into action later since they are already physically
up and moving around the room with each other.

If the group is
larger than 100 people or space is limited, it is still possible to
warm people up by doing a modified version of the spectrogram. They can
be instructed to simply stand up if they meet certain criterion such as:

-Stand if
you have been a member of this community for more than 5 years…

-Stand if
you drove more than 5 miles to get here…

-Stand if
you teach religious education to children/teenagers/adults

-Stand if
you think you are fairly familiar with the Bible or have attended a
Bible study

group
before

Group members
can also be invited to offer their own criteria. By doing so, the
director is beginning to warm the group up to their own spontaneity,
which will also be useful as the group proceeds.

Sue Barnum, an
experienced bibliodrama director from Texas, frequently directs
retreats for ecumenical groups. One of her favorite warm-ups is to
place a variety of different wisdom texts on a table, such as: the
Hebrew Bible, a Christian Bible which includes both New and Old
Testaments, a Bhagavad Gita (a major Hindu text), the Koran, a book of
Zen tales, a book of Sufi tales, etc. She then directs the group to
move around the table in silence and find the text with which he/she
has the strongest relationship whether it be a positive or a negative
one. Each person is then given a chance to step into the role of the
text and make a statement about it’s relationship to the person who
chose it. This warm-up provides the group and director with valuable
information about each other and also can lead to very deep personal
insights in the bibliodrama that comes next.

Another option
is if group members are more comfortable with one another and seem to
be talking freely with each other during the earlier warm-up. After the
guided imagery mentioned above, they could be invited to a “Bible
Character Convention.” The director has them wander around the room and
meet the other Bible characters that have come to this convention. They
are instructed to speak only from the role of the character they have
chosen (this sometimes requires modeling) and they are encouraged to
ask one another questions. It is enormous fun and usually generates a
great deal of creative energy as the most amazing interactions occur,
such as: Moses meeting Jesus, Mary Magdalene meeting Eve, a nail from
the crucifixion talking to water turned into wine, or any number of
curious encounters. After a short time, each character is then
instructed to think of one thing he/she really wants the rest of the
group to know about him/her and takes a turn speaking his/her truth.
Benefits of this method include a rapid increase in the group’s
creativity and spontaneity and an easy movement to the next layer of
warm-up.

2.
Techniques:

Echoing: “In
echoing the director actually goes into role with the role-player. I
think of this move as siding with the participant for a moment. And
two, in echoing the director extends and deepens the role player’s
response. The art of echoing has to do with how well the director is
able to match the voicing of the participant, then give it an
inflection of feeling that takes the player’s expression to another
level. But it is important that the director do this without taking the
role away from the player but rather that he give it back heightened
and clarified. You want the role-player to feel that you really get
what s/he is saying, but not that you could have done it better and
that h/she is unnecessary.”(Pitzele, 1998: 44)

Illustrating Doubling:

A bibliodramatist
from Seattle, Washington, Cynthia Gayle, was doing an enactment from
the story of Noah at the time when God was introducing the rainbow as
representing the covenant between God and humanity. One of the
characters in the scene (Noah’s son) said, “What is this covenant
business anyway? What do you mean you are going to be there? I don’t
believe you!” Here is another important opportunity to call for a role
reversal. Whenever God is concretized in a scene, it provides a chance
for the group’s spiritual questions and issues to surface and
frequently anger to be expressed. It can be very valuable to allow the
enactors the opportunity to role reverse with God and search their own
heart for a response. As they respond, other audience members may wish
to double for God as they express their own truth.

More on
Story Selection:

Allowing group
members to choose which story they’ll enact involves a “sociometric”
technique derived from psychodrama. After a generic warm-up like the
guided imagery exercise mentioned above or the Bible Character
Convention, the selection is made this way: After each person says one
thing they want the rest of the group to know from the role they have
chosen, the group then determines which character and/or story it wants
to examine in greater detail. Sometimes there is a connection between
the characters which are chosen even though they may be in different
stories. For example, one time half the group wanted to dialogue with
Lucifer and the other half of the group wanted to talk to Eve. So, the
group ended up doing a scene from the Garden of Eden that included a
dialogue between the devil and Eve. Another time, the group was torn
equally between three different women: Mary, Sarah, and Jochebed
(Moses’ mother). So, there was a very powerful meeting of these three
women who talked about their struggles with the role of ‘mother’.

A benefit of
this method of choosing the story is that it ensures the group’s
interest and energy to support the enactment and it increases their
connection to whatever issues might arise during it. However, a
drawback is that it requires extra time to go through the selection
process. At times, another drawback can be that individuals, who don’t
have much familiarity with the Bible might have difficulty assessing a
story or character. It’s very rare, though; that a person doesn’t have
a bare minimum of Bible literacy (i.e., Noah’s ark, the creation story,
Jesus’ birth or death) they just need to be reminded of what they know
through osmosis. If using this method it is very helpful if the
director has a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures, lots of
spontaneity and creativity to move wherever the group may choose to go,
and a great trust in the process of sociometric choice.

Illustrating
sculpting:

Probably one of
the easiest and most potent ways to enact a scene is through the use of
“sculpting”. After reading a story, group members can be asked to come
forward and take the role of a person who they imagine might be present
in some way in the scene. They are encouraged to imagine unmentioned
people and objects that may have observations or interactions with the
main characters. As each character comes forward one at a time, the
director asks who they are and tells them to silently take a posture
somewhere in the scene.

However, once
the characters have assumed positions in a “still sculpture”, the
director has the option of bringing it to life by interviewing some of
the roles or asking a character to do a brief soliloquy. Sometimes
encounters between the characters will spontaneously emerge without
direction, or at other times the characters can be asked if they have
something they’d like to say to someone in the scene. While the
interaction in the scene will usually only involve a few characters,
before the scene is over it’s valuable to ask each character in the
scene one last thing they’d like to say from their role so that even
those who have been silently listening and watching have a sense of
closure and a chance to express their truth.

One time a
group that Amy Clarkson facilitated did a silent sculpture of the
moment Jochebed (Moses’ mother) brought the baby Moses in a basket to
the river. Some of the roles which surfaced were: an Egyptian passer-by
who happened to also be at the river; the river reeds who were
observing the moment; the River Nile which the group came to realize
played an enormous role in the story; the basket into which Moses was
placed; Aaron (Moses’ brother); Miriam (his sister) and Moses’ father.
The group surfaced a whole new dimension and depth to this familiar
story. Sometimes just silently taking a physical position in a scenario
provides a rich experience without ever adding dialogue.

More on
Closing Ritual:

Having each
participant imagine a character from the enacted story who then offers
a blessing or word of advice can be a powerful closure exercise,
providing group members with an opportunity to thank a specific
character in the story for some new insight or direction is another
possibility. Using ritual to invite some type of spiritual response to
the story is another meaningful closure activity. This is particularly
useful if the bibliodrama has been chosen as part of a retreat or
spiritual growth day. For example, after a session on “The Sower and
the Seed”, group members might be asked to imagine the seed within the
soil of their being and then invited to make a commitment to nurture
the seed in whatever way it needs care (watering it, removing weeds,
fertilizing it, etc.). As a sign of this commitment group members can
choose to take a “seed” from a bowl while they listen to “The Rose”
sung by Bette Middler. The seed then serves as a type of reminder of
their commitment. Any type of action that helps group members feel
connected to one another and share that connection can be a valuable
closure. Having them say a blessing over one another or exchange a sign
of peace can accomplish this.

- - - - - -

At http://www.bibliodrama.com/Peter Pitzele has a rich site with a number of writings: Bibliodrama: Socrates meets Stanislawski: A blend of scholarship and art, philosophy and drama: Combining a close reading of biblical texts with searching, imaginative questions, Bibliodrama offers people of all ages and levels of knowledge an opportunity to experience of a method of creative study that, in the past twenty five years, has changed the way we read the Bible.

Under “Essays and Stories” Pitzele writes a good introductory essay: Bibliodrama: A Call to the Future, that complements Linda Condon’s chapter: http://www.bibliodrama.com/bibpurpose.htm

Rabbi Jack Moline writes “A Bibliodramatic Seder” http://www.bibliodrama.com/seder.htm with some interesting interpretations. (I—Adam Blatner—was reminded on reading this of another interpretation that I encountered some years back, that the Seder could also be a mythic contemplation of the ways we all retain some elements of a slave mentality and continue to need liberation, to contemplate on ways of becoming more free, and the increased responsibility that entails. Much of my personal self-analysis has involved activities to identify and break free from residues of old programming—which is a mild kind of enslavement.)

Susan Ticker wrote another paper that explores the theme of Bibliodrama especially from the viewpoint of education: “The Drama of Tanach: Up Close and Personal.” http://www.bibliodrama.com/closeup.htm

Alex Sinclair, Ph.D., wrote a paper on Bibliodrama in the Journal of Jewish Education, accessible at: http://www.bibliodrama.com/BibliodramaandHermeneutics1.pdf The example explores the story of Abraham almost sacrificing Isaac, Isaac’s mother Sarah’s unspoken feelings, and so forth.

Yoram Kanzler in Israel writes a small paper on Bibliodrama in Israel, the first several lines being in Hebrew, but further down the substance is in English. http://www.bibliodrama.com/bdisrael.htm

Bibliodrama in Europe also integrates Pitzele’s approach with some other approaches that have been explored for some time. A paper titled “Bibliolog,” written by Frank Muchlinsky, explores this overlap with Christian bibliodrama, which has been around for decades, coming from separate sources. http://www.bibliodrama.com/bibliolog1.htm

I encourage you to link to and explore this and related websites.

- - -

Other
Approaches to Bibliodrama (by B. Krondorfer)

Others have
also been doing psychodrama. In fact, according to Professor Bjorn H.
Krondorfer of St. Mary’s College of Maryland,
<bhkrondorfer@smcm.edu>, bibliodrama has been used since the
1970s in Europe. It was a grassroots movement, apparently, originating
in many centers. One notable pioneer, though, was Prof. Marcel Martin,
a theologian at Marburg University in Germany, but there were also many
others. The general consensus is that there is not a single origin for
bibliodrama, but rather it was just a movement by many different people
experimenting with different creative approaches to bible study and
bible drama in the 1970s, out of which Bibliodrama eventually emerges.
An early PhD thesis on bibliodrama (Jurgen Bobrowski, title:
Bibliodramapraxis: Biblische Symbole Im Spiel Erfahren, 1991) claims
that the first published collections of materials on Bibliodrama
appeared in Germany in 1979, but this dissertation situates bibliodrama
still very much within the pedagogical realm and educational theories
of play. It was done mainly in Protestant circles at first, then moved
to Catholic and Jewish communities as well. Sam Laeuchli has
experimented also with this form applied to various mythological
stories. The movement is huge in Europe, especially in Germany and the
Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Finland, Denmark), and there are over
20 books in German language alone, plus many dozens of articles. Dr.
Krondorfer’s 1992 book, Body and Bible, was one of the first to
describe Bibliodrama done in the United States (of America).

Some
bibliodrama leaders use psychodramatic methods (but certainly not all).
In the 1980s and since, bibliodrama has moved from the avant-garde
margins to the mainstream, and is presently practiced on a parish,
local, regional, national and international level. To put numbers to
the movement would be extremely difficult, but my guess is that many
thousands of people have been exposed to it (which is not to say that
all liked it or are "practicing" it on a regular basis).

I have done
some workshops with Peter Pitzele, and facilitated his first German
visit to a bibliodrama conference. He is now fairly regularly in
Germany. All bibliodrama is improvisational, not scripted like a
theatre play would be. The difference in style is rather how
directional and interventionist a particular bibliodrama leader is. In
actuality, Peter Pitzele's approach (at least, the one I got to know)
is more directional and in this sense scripted than most others.

The format is
very dependent on the facilitator/leader of a given bibliodrama, but
usually, it gives a lot of space for improvisation for the
participants. Some are based on dialogues, others on Gestalt and
movement, including dance, other follow a more therapeutic format,
still others work with masks and visual material, one even works with
puppets. Still others have expanded it to work with children. Key is to
make the biblical text come alive-within the people experiencing it
while, at the same time, not doing violence to the exegesis of a text.
Bibliodrama, as I have put it often, comes a live in the triangular
relationship of text, the playing self/I and the dynamics of a group.
How the "playing" is conducted is where the approaches differ.

The above links
to my webpage also contain some more information, including some of the
major works in Germany on Bibliodrama. The best link to get more
detailed information about the bibliodrama in Germany is on this site
"Gesellschaft fuer Bibliodrama."

The Gesellschaft fuer Bibliodrama published TEXTRAUM, a
magazine/newsletter 2-3 times a year. They list most of the bibliodrama
workshops that take place in Germany. I will take a look at make an
estimate. Also, remember, there are not just workshops but a number of
training programs that meet, and certificate programs (some of which
are 2-3 years in duration) and continuing education or advanced
training programs, etc.

There are articles and books in Finish and Swedish and Danish, but I do
not have them or have followed their translation since I don't know the
languages. I believe also that there is some material in Hungary and in
Netherlands, Austria and possibly in Italy. As to the origins, I can
consult some of my German books and see how differently they describe
it.

Walter Wink
(union theological seminary) had written some early articles on
creative and dramatic bible work (interactive bible work), and is
sometimes credited of having had some influence on the European scene,
and so did Samuel Laeuchli when he was still in the States (but your
are right, his seminal publications in this area are all in German).
Gerhard Marcel Martin, Sachbuch Bibliodrama: Praxis Und Theorie, 1995)
traces the beginnings of bibliodrama to the theatrical experimentation
in the 1960s, like Jerzy Grotowski's theatre, holy/sacred theatre, and
inspirations by Peter Brook (The Empty Space) and Richard Schechner.
Most books on bibliodrama no longer feel the need to find the
beginnings of it but rather speak of the methodological variety of
bibliodrama. Certainly, as I mentioned before, classical psychodrama
had used biblical texts for its work, but this does remain distinct
from how bibliodrama understands itself today. For an early example,
see Alvin Bobroff, "Biblical Psychodrama" in: Group Psychotherapy 15
(1962).

What is
missing--and I have been thinking about it for years--to write a book
for an American audience, a blend of what Bibliodrama is and stands for
(including some historical and hermeneutical and play theory issues)
and then some practical advice of how to work with this method. Alas,
so far, my schedule and other pressing interests have prevented me from
doing so.

Bibliodrama is
mostly not done during services on Sunday–or rarely, to my knowledge.
More often it is a method used at retreats where people voluntarily
sign up for it. One should never do bibliodrama with people unwilling
to do it. In that sense, it shares this idea with any kind of therapy,
since bibliodrama has therapeutic moments, hence the recent insistence
of many people in Europe that bibliodrama leaders need to be trained.
Bibliodramas can be as short as 2 hours (mostly as introductory
sessions) but most people would not start unless they have a minimum of
half a day. Many bibliodramas run for a weekend or extended weekend,
some for 4-6 days (just on one particular passage). The text is usually
chose by the bibliodrama leader or the facilitating team, and usually
announced in advance when particular workshops are advertised. G.
Marcel Martin define bibliodrama as a group for 12-18 people, but some
have experimented with large groups (especially Peter Pitzele, but he
is about the only one); it should not go below 5 or 6 participants,
since the method is based on interaction between the people and the
text.

Participants
are helped to imagine alternative viewpoints, their own questions and
hunches about what else might have been going on, innovative
interpretations, making these bibliodramas more relevant to their own
lives. This is at the heart of bibliodrama: to embellish the background
of the biblical texts, which are so strong in foreground, and hence
allow us to imagine the motivations of characters and the motives of
plots.

For example:
Often a specific gesture mentioned in the text will be embodied--but,
as we know, as "kiss" is not just a kiss. When the gospel text speaks
of Judas kissing Jesus during his arrest, how do we imagine the kiss?
The text does not tell us, yet, when we are asked to spontaneously
improvise/play with this scene, some (as Judas) might kiss another
person impersonating Jesus on the cheeks, forehead, feet, hands, neck
or mouth. Each of these embodied gestures carries a very different
meaning, and leads to a deepening and opening of the texts themselves.

Alternatives
are encouraged to be imagined and performed. People marginal to the
text or absent in a story can be embodied and "fleshed" out; you can
give objects or animals a voice; create "living sculptures," do
doubling and amplification (as in psychodrama) and so on and so forth.
Jewishly speaking, it is a kind of living, contemporary Midrash.

This
issue of the journal is dedicated to exploring the use of bibliodrama
and provides several articles on the topic written by a variety of
European bibliodramatists. An English copy of it may be purchased for
$5.00 and $1.50 postage from: Bulletin Deiverbum, General Secretariat,
Postfach 105222, 70045 Stuttgart, Germany.Catholic Bible
Federation website: www.c-b-f.org

Miller, D.
(1997) Doers of the word: how stories come to life through bibliodrama.
Redlands, CA: Beacon Reminders, 1997. Introduction to doing
bibliodrama which includes several transcripts of bibliodrama sessions
directed by the author.

Carvalho, E. S.
(1986). Christian reconciliation: A psychodramatic contribution.
Journal of Psychology & Christianity, 5(1), 5-10.
Several excellent examples of the use of bibliodrama in a group format
exploring relationship with God and reconciliation.